Farmlander August 2018 North

Ladies’ Night 2018

WALKER KAREN

Farmlands invites you to enjoy an inspirational evening with Kiwi fashion and business icon, Karen Walker.

Tuesday 18th September ...... Palmerston North Conference & Function Centre

Wednesday 19th September ...........................Quality Hotel Emerald, Gisborne

Thursday 20th September ............................ Napier Convention Centre, Napier

Tuesday 9th October ................................................... Toll Stadium, Whangarei

Wednesday 10th October ................... Mystery Creek Events Centre, Hamilton

Thursday 11th October .................... ASB Baypark Stadium Lounge, Tauranga

Tickets include a complimentary drink and a delicious meal on arrival.

Book your tickets today at your local Farmlands store or by calling 0800 200 600 or register online at www.farmlands.co.nz/ladiesnight *Terms and Conditions apply, visit www.farmlands.co.nz to learn more. $35 EACH

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

INTEREST

2 Farmlands Ladies Night

5 Farmlands staff profile

5 From the CEO

6 Let us know how we're doing

7 From the catwalk to the country

9 Farmlands wins KPMG CEE Award

10 5 minutes with Jen Scoular

12 Special Feature – Growing a Kiwi first

19 A tribute to Stocky

20 Spring preview – we ask the experts

24 The story of this land – shareholder calendar photo competition

43 Providing stock handling training ahead of spring tasks

45 Shout Out – recognising our staff

45 Buying Power Promise

47 Century Farms – Boleyn family celebrates more than 160 years

49 Choices Rewards

50 Tom Cranswick Memorial Award

51 Legacy honours learning

55 Spring to attention

58 Introducing The Badgers –the Farmlands farming family

59 Farmlands Real Estate

PLAN365

AUGUST

We're your co-operative so we want to hear what you think

Join us to discuss how your co-operative is performing and our vision for the future. To find your nearest event, visit www.farmlands.co.nz/rsvp or call 0800 200 600.

FARMLANDER The

ON THE COVER

Farmlands Director – Marketing, Jess Strange and Director –Strategy and Communication, Colm Hamrogue with the KPMG Award.

SPECIAL FEATURE

For the first time, the Gordon Stephenson Trophy at the New Zealand Farm Environment Awards was presented to a horticulture business. We talk to the winners, Mark and Catriona White from Coastal Kiwis Orchard.

AUGUST Young Grower of the Year Final

Watch the finalists battle it out at the Napier Conference Centre to see who takes the Young Grower of the Year title for 2018!

AUGUST Applications close for Tom Cranswick Memorial Award

Don't miss your chance to apply for a $5,000 study grant.

FARMLANDS STAFF PROFILE

Amy Searle

Q: What is your current role at Farmlands?

A: Inventory Controller at Farmlands Whakatane.

Q: What do you enjoy about your job?

A: The awesome team that I work with and providing great service to our shareholders.

Q: Tell us a bit about your family.

A: Mum and Dad live in Whakatane. I have one younger brother who is taller than me and gets mistaken for the older child. My partner, Adam works on a dry stock farm just 15 minutes outside of Whakatane.

Q: What do you like to do most in your spare time?

A: Relaxing on the farm and watching Netflix.

Q: Where is your favourite New Zealand getaway?

A: Waihau Bay, East Coast, New Zealand.

Q: Past or present, who would you like to meet? What would you ask them?

A: The Game of Thrones cast. I would ask them for spoilers of the final season!

Ambrosia Cheesecake

Ingredients

Base

• 200g chocolate fingers

• 80g unsalted butter, melted Filling

• 500g cream cheese

• 100g caster sugar

Method

• 300ml cream

• 60ml boiling water

• 3 tsp gelatine powder

• 1 cup mixed berry yoghurt

• 70g marshmallows, halved

• 100g dark chocolate, chopped

1. Grease a 20-23cm cake tin and line the base with baking paper.

2. Blend the chocolate fingers in a food processor to a fine crumb. Add the melted butter and pulse until combined.

3. Press mixture into the base of the tin and pop in the fridge to chill for an hour.

4. Place the cream cheese and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until smooth. Beat the cream in a separate bowl until thick peaks form.

5. In a small bowl, pour in the boiling water and sprinkle the gelatine over top, slowly stirring with a fork to dissolve the gelatine. Leave to cool slightly.

6. Beat the gelatine into the cream cheese mix until well combined. Add the yoghurt and mix thoroughly. Gently fold in the whipped cream, marshmallows and chocolate.

7. Pour over the base and refrigerate for at least 5 hours, preferably overnight is best.

8. Serve with fresh berries or grated chocolate.

FROM THE CEO

Welcome to the August issue of The Farmlander. Our business has always been built on two things – the support of our shareholders and our people that support them. By working Together, we have again proven the power of our relationship.

Last month, Farmlands was announced as the New Zealand winner of KPMG’s prestigious Global Customer Experience Excellence (CEE) Award. While you can read more about this award further on in this edition, it is a vote of confidence in our ability to provide a customer experience that makes people want to come back and shop with us again.

The co-operative business model creates a “virtuous circle” of benefits for our members. The more you use your co-operative, the more benefits we can provide. It is why the co-operative model endures and why you can take pride in this award. We are after all a business you own.

Thanks to those that were surveyed, we finished ahead of a who’s who of major New Zealand brands and businesses –Air New Zealand, Kiwibank, New World and ASB Bank.

Because we don’t have multiple branches in New Zealand’s major cities, we often fly under the radar. When it comes to what we do, however, we pride ourselves on leaving a lasting impression. That’s why our enduring customer relationships have been able to span, in some cases, generations.

Our people are an incredible bunch, who work hard to create a higher level of service. We have invested in developing and supporting them. This investment was first justified in February when we won the HR Institute of New Zealand (HRINZ) Talent and Development Management Award. Winning the CEE Award adds further weight.

This is an award for our staff, as well as our shareholders. I thank our people for taking us to the top of the pack.

The funny thing about winning awards is that it is harder to stay at the top than get there. We continue to strive to not just be a “good” co-operative but a “great” one. Your co-operative can only achieve this by working Together with our members. Thank you for your ongoing support.

Kind regards,

Peter Reidie Chief Executive Officer Farmlands Co-operative Society Limited

From the catwalk to the country

Synonymous with style, the iconic Karen Walker is one of the most famous names in the New Zealand fashion industry.

The Karen Walker brand is available in 42 countries around the world and at more than 1,000 retail stores including luxury department stores Barneys New York and Harvey Nichols.

While she has realised success worldwide throughout her career, Karen has always called New Zealand home and is currently based in Auckland – which is also where she got her start in fashion.

Karen began studying fashion design in Auckland in 1988. She started up her label the following year, selling pieces through local boutique stores.

“I wanted a career that would light me up and make me jump out of bed every morning, eager to get to work,” she says. “Fashion was the only thing that did that for me.”

Karen debuted her first runway collection at Hong Kong Fashion Week in 1998. Then in 2002 she held her first solo show in London.

Karen showed her collections at New York Fashion Week for 10 consecutive years (20 seasons) from 2006 to 2016 – the only New Zealand brand to ever do so.

Her eccentrically elegant style, expressed through her stunning ranges of clothing, eyewear, jewellery, bags and fragrance, has gained a stellar international following.

Countless celebrities have been spotted in her designs, from Lady Gaga and Madonna to Adele, Rihanna, Beyoncé and Scarlett Johansson, as well as New Zealand stars Taika Waititi and Lorde.

More than being the label of choice for famous faces, Karen says she is most proud of having built a great brand. “I’m lucky to have spent the last three decades working within the fashion business,” she says.

With what little spare time she has in between running her business, Karen loves doing yoga, playing tennis, reading, cooking, playing with her daughter, walking her dog, looking at art and swimming.

She also enjoys travelling –something that she is particularly looking forward to doing as part of the Farmlands Ladies’ Nights.

“I’m looking forward to seeing lots of parts of New Zealand I don’t get to very often and I always love meeting new people,” she says.

Karen understands the complexity of running a business and the challenges faced by business owners, including constant pressure to succeed and never being able to switch off.

She is excited to share her story with Farmlands shareholders.

“I’ll be talking about my journey and my vision and how I deal with the highs and lows of a busy career and life.”

Farmlands Ladies’ Nights are coming to a town near you, kicking off in Cromwell in September.

Find out more information at www.farmlands.co.nz/ladiesnight

WALKER KAREN

Farmlands wins KPMG CEE Award

Farmlands was recently named the New Zealand winner of KPMG’s prestigious Global Customer Experience Excellence (CEE) Award.

As one of just 14 winners of the award world-wide, Farmlands joins an elite group of iconic brands such as Singapore Airlines (Australia), Apple Store (Italy), Alipay (China) and Emirates (UAE). Following Farmlands in the top five for New Zealand were Air New Zealand, Kiwibank, New World and ASB Bank.

Farmlands Chief Executive, Peter Reidie, says receiving the accolade is a vote of confidence in the power of the co-operative business model. Because a significant portion of Farmlands customers are actually Farmlands shareholders, ongoing loyalty creates its own virtuous circle of benefits.

“The more Farmlands shareholders choose to shop with us, the bigger our ability to create advantage for both them and the co-operative they own,” he says. “As a co-operative, we are a family – shareholders, staff and suppliers. We work hard to make sure all our shareholders feel valued – after all, they are the reason our business exists in the first place.”

Farmlands has invested a lot in its people and its brand over the past 5 years and Peter sees the award as proof that the investment is paying off. He says the calibre, passion and willingness to take the “extra step” of Farmlands staff was the decisive factor in the win, as their technical knowledge, experience and empathy have built the enduring customer

relationships with shareholders.

“Many of our staff grew up in the local communities they now serve through Farmlands,” Peter says.

“This reinforces our sense of family.

We are in a business where our shareholders trust us with their livelihoods, so every interaction with them should return that faith.

“That’s the case whether you visit us at one of our 82 stores, or have one of our staff pull up your driveway. Given our shareholders have stakes in a business that encompasses expertise across agriculture, horticulture, cropping, real estate, nutrition and fuel among others, we aim to make every interaction across the entire business memorable.”

The survey for the KPMG Global CEE Awards measured “The Six

Pillars of Customer Experience Excellence” – Personalisation, Resolution, Integrity, Time and Effort, Expectations and Empathy. The survey found leading organisations demonstrate mastery of these pillars and are outstanding at all of them.

Regarding Farmlands, KPMG’s New Zealand Customer Experience Excellence Report noted that a “customer-centric culture enables Farmlands to deliver an exceptionally high level of personalisation to their customers, which in turn creates a high degree of customer loyalty and commitment to the organisation”.

The KPMG Customer Experience Excellence Report is available to view at www.kpmg.com

| Farmlands representatives celebrate with KPMG at the awards presentation. Back row: KPMG Customer Experience Lead Baxter McConnell, Farmlands Director – Strategy and Communication Colm Hamrogue and Farmlands Brand and Customer Experience Manager Debbie Bellis. Front row: Farmlands Chairman Lachie Johnstone, Farmlands Director –Marketing Jess Strange and KPMG Partner, Advisory Simon Hunter.

5 minutes with Jen Scoular

CEO, New Zealand Avocado.

New Zealand Avocado has their major conference coming up this spring. What can attendees expect to learn?

The New Zealand Avocado International Industry Conference is to be held from the 29th to 31st August 2018 in Tauranga. It is an event that presents attendees with the opportunity to learn further

about the avocado industry, to network with fellow growers and capture key technical information to better their knowledge. The conference – themed ‘growing avocados for the world’ –represents the exciting opportunity the industry has to continue to expand across an international marketplace. With international speakers from China, Australia, Colombia and New Zealand, the conference will inspire, connect and enable delegates to enhance their knowledge and be better prepared

to grow quality fruit for the world. The speakers will present on a useful cross section of topics including:

• Pollination and fruit set rates

• Using technology on orchard to improve productivity

• Innovation of avocado

• Competing on a global stage

• Journey of sustainability within avocados

• Mitigation for irregular bearing

• Pruning

And a lot more! You don’t have to be a grower to register – but after the conference you might want to become a grower! Registration details can be found at www.avocadoconference.co.nz

What are some of the major challenges facing the avocado industry?

The rise and demand for avocados globally is definitely a wonderful advantage. New Zealand’s challenge now is to meet that demand. We need to grow more avocados!

Avocados come from Central and South America, which indicates correctly that the temperate New Zealand climate makes growing avocados a challenge. It is often wetter, cooler and windier than the ideal climate and growers need to make allowances for those factors with good shelter, drainage and canopy management. Keeping our trees healthy with excellent nutrition and soil management is also very important and a challenge to maintain. The wet climate increases the incidences of rot in avocado, so

| CEO , New Zealand Avocado, Jen Scoular.

growers must follow best practice to help minimise any issues with the development of post-harvest rots.

Where has the avocado industry been making the most advances over the past 12 months?

Values achieved in every market –including the New Zealand market –have hit record highs over the past 12 months, with excellent management of supply and demand in all markets. The industry successfully gained market access for avocados from New Zealand to China earlier this year – a huge success. With the growth in hectares of avocados recently and an increase in yields, the China market offers a wonderful opportunity to take large volumes of fruit. During the 4 years of negotiations to achieve market access, New Zealand Avocado and exporters have

been proactively increasing their understanding of the China market and relationships for the future.

How do New Zealand avocado growers position themselves compared to competing growers overseas? What is our point of difference?

We talk of people, provenance and product. Avocados from New Zealand are grown in our wonderful clean green environment. Our growers also nurture the avocados to help produce an amazing eating experience for all consumers.

What are the major goals for New Zealand Avocado over the next 10 years?

The industry set 10 year goals back in 2013 to quadruple sales and treble productivity to $280m and 12 tonnes per hectare. Half way through that period, we are on track to meet those audacious goals. We are developing new Asian markets and have successfully doubled the returns from the New Zealand market. The industry is working collaboratively towards those goals, acknowledging that we will succeed best if we work as one industry going in one direction.

“

The rise and demand for avocados globally is definitely a wonderful advantage. New Zealand’s challenge now is to meet that demand.

GROWING A KIWI FIRST

An Opotiki couple’s organic crusade has seen them named as national ambassadors for sustainable farming and growing.

Mark and Catriona White of Coastal Kiwis Orchard were recently crowned the national winners of the Ballance Farm Environment Awards in recognition of their decade long quest for a better lifestyle for their family.

Their win has also raised the profile of horticulture, with the couple the first horticulturalists to win the New Zealand Farm Environment Trust’s National Award and the Gordon Stephenson Trophy.

“It’s nice to fly the flag for horticulture, as most of the other regional winners were dairy or sheep and cattle farmers. To win the national award reinforces that horticulture can be managed in a sustainable way,” Mark and Catriona tell The Farmlander.

Being green doesn’t mean the bottom line is ignored, with the environmentally aware couple getting better-than-average production out of their kiwifruit operation using organic farming methods.

Coastal Kiwis Orchard’s organic green kiwifruit production roughly equals the average in conventional kiwifruit production and in gold kiwifruit they are well above average for conventional and organic.

“Our aim is to put together a high performing business as far as production and bottom line and achieve that year in, year out,” Mark and Catriona say.

The ‘Coastal Kiwis’ were not always orchard dwellers.

In fact, escaping Auckland city and wanting a better lifestyle for their family was the catalyst behind the Mark and Catriona’s shift to sustainability.

Catriona’s parents had offered the couple the chance to buy part of their organic dairy farm near Opotiki to develop as a kiwifruit orchard.

Organics is about a healthy soil and healthy environment, which leads to healthy food and healthy people. “

Organics “a clear focus”

“a

clear focus” is not a barrier to excellent orchard

Being organic is not a barrier to excellent orchard productivity for Mark and Catriona. In awarding the couple the Ballance Farm Environment

the the Ballance Farm Environment judges

National Award, judges say there was no compromise about being organic for the Whites, who demonstrate the concept of kaitiaki – acting as a guardian, protector and conserver in all aspects of the Coastal Kiwis Orchard business.

who demonstrate the concept of kaitiaki –as a of the Coastal Kiwis Orchard business

Catriona and Mark’s win acknowledged a decade transforming part of an organic dairy farm into the sustainable orchard operation it is today.

Mark says worldwide consumers are demanding safe food to eat. Organic principles deliver food that is safe to eat, safe to produce, safe for the environment, safe for the people working with it and safe for the community living next to it.

“Organics is about a healthy soil and healthy environment, which leads to healthy food and healthy people,” Mark says.

safe food to eat. that is safe to eat, safe to safe for the with it and safe next to it food and says a sustainable what

“Our point of difference is building a sustainable business from scratch and we have a clear focus through to the end consumer of what type of food we are trying to produce for them.

| Mark and Catriona White converted organic dairy to organic kiwifruit.

It’s about quality, not quantity. It’s also about balancing the plant through the production process, so the plant is providing a high quality crop this year but there is enough left to produce again next year. Our production goals are balanced with a longer-term view.

“A lot of our work goes into our fertiliser programme, which comprises of two components. The first is replacing some minerals lost by our soil during the production season and the second is feeding the biology in the soil. We use natural inputs like compost, fish and seaweed to stimulate life in the soil –our soil is a living thing and we are trying to feed it all the time.”

The Coastal Kiwis Orchard 2018 harvest saw production of 15,000 trays per hectare of mature sun gold and more than 8,000 trays per hectare of organic green – picked in the first few weeks of the “Kiwi Start Programme”.

They say the Zespri grower incentive to pick fruit early, providing it meets market specifications, offers benefits around staff sustainability, as well as less risk exposure to weather extremes such as cyclones.

Mark says a challenge in a seasonal business is to look after your staff and ensure they are getting a regular pay every week. “Harvesting the fruit earlier means we can start pruning earlier, so it smooths out the work flow.”

The BioGro certified orchard uses no chemical pesticides or herbicides, instead mowing around the plants and letting grass grow a bit longer to provide living spaces and food for fauna and to retain soil moisture. They practice “precision horticulture”, treating each vine separately rather than having the same rules for every plant.

Initial plantings saw Hayward green and Hort16A gold kiwifruit varieties grafted onto “Bruno” rootstock kiwifruit plants. The Whites removed the gold vines when they saw the devastation caused by the vine disease Psa-V.

Organic passionfruit provided income until the newly grafted G3 vines came into production. A small flock of certified organic sheep carry out weed control duties around the edges of the orchard, helping reduce tractor work and its associated soil compaction, especially in winter. Organic sprays are used as required to disrupt pest lifecycles. Weka and fantails prey on insects, bird seed plants are grown to encourage birds away from eating kiwifruit flower buds and slugs help to recycle organic material on the floor of the orchard. With plenty for the slugs to eat on the ground, they don’t bother to chew on the newly grafted vines.

“It's a matter of finding the point at which everything can live in balance,” Mark says.

“My family has been farming this land for four generations and for most of that time the land has been farmed using organic principles,” Catriona says. The shift officially made the couple’s children, Letisha (15) and Lochlan (13), the fifth generation to live on the land. That opportunity to leave the rat race back in 2007 saw the launch of Coastal Kiwis, a 7.5ha orchard that now produces organic green and gold kiwifruit for Zespri.

Before turning to horticulture, Mark, formerly a manager at New Zealand Post for 10 years, went to Lincoln University, graduating with a Masters in Marketing and Management. Catriona had been a primary school teacher but was fulltime looking after their children when they started. The couple wanted something they could both work on and knew the soil and climate were right for kiwifruit. They did most of the physical development work themselves, keeping costs down and learning by their mistakes. Mark also completed a National Certificate in Horticulture.

The couple say although the farm was already organic dairy, they would have chosen to go organic anyway, as they wanted a safe environment to work in and to produce safe food. The decision to enter the Ballance Farm Environment

“

At times, it feels like you’ve got blinkers on in your own industry and to lift your game you have to look elsewhere.

Awards was driven by a desire to mix with other industries, gain feedback from the judges and learn new sustainable practices. According to Mark, when you live in kiwifruit, all you get involved in is kiwifruit. “At times, it feels like you’ve got blinkers on in your own industry and to lift your game you have to look elsewhere,” he says.

Their award journey began in February when they were named Supreme Winners for the Bay of Plenty region. In June, they went head to head against the 10 other regional finalists. Catriona says the final round of the awards process made them proud to be New Zealand farmers, having seen and heard what other people are doing to look after

| Letisha and Lochlan White at Coastal Kiwis Orchard.

the environment. They had met the other finalists and had found their presentations to be really impressive –which is why they were “gobsmacked” with the win.

Catriona says when their name was announced at the awards dinner they just sat there and stared at each other. “People at our table were saying ‘it’s you, it’s you’ – it took us a while to compose ourselves.”

“There are so many good environmental practices being carried out, we were honoured to have been chosen as the overall winners,” she says. “The other finalists are doing amazing work. We were humbled to win because any one of them would have made an ambassador.”

Becoming an ambassador helps the Whites to fulfil one of their goals when they first entered – to promote organics.

“When we started 10 years ago, organic farming was a niche market – now it is becoming a more mainstream farming option,” Mark says. “According to Organic Aotearoa New Zealand, organic exports from New Zealand have increased by 42 percent in the last 2 years.

“For us, the next step is implementing some of the really good feedback the judges gave us and contributing to the discussion around organics and sustainability. We want to share our story and be ambassadors in raising the profile of sustainability.”

Part of the prize package included an overseas study tour involving off-shore research. The couple are considering heading to Europe to look at kiwifruit and organic farming.

“As ambassadors, we want to add something to the picture and our goal is to bring something new back to New Zealand.”

For the Whites, sustainability takes on many forms.

They say it’s not just about sustaining their soil, which they describe as their biggest asset – it’s also about sustainability around growing practices, water usage, staff management and financial sustainability.

“Sustainability includes a work/life balance and community involvement – our community is where our workforce comes from, so that is a big part for us as well.”

| Catriona and Mark White moved from Auckland to start their own organic kiwifruit orchard.

A tribute to Stocky

The Farmlands family joined the Taranaki community in mourning the loss of long-time Farmlands employee and well-known Taranaki personality, Keith “Stocky” Stockman on Friday, 29 th June.

Stocky, as he was almost universally known, was a popular member of Taranaki’s farming and rugby communities. He was also instrumental in the growth of Farmlands in the area. When Farmlands moved into the Taranaki area, Stocky was appointed Regional Manager for our co-operative. During his time with Farmlands he held roles as Regional Manager and Area Manager, before becoming the

manager of our Hawera Distribution Centre. The area he covered changed over the years but stretched as far south as Otaki and as far inland as Te Kuiti, Taumarunui and Taupo. His goal was to turn Farmlands into the rural retailer of choice in Taranaki. While doing so, regularly travelling the network of roads joining Taranaki’s rural towns, Stocky identified the value of having a distribution centre in the region. He felt there was an opportunity to deliver directly to shareholders across the region, with an opportunity to save shareholders time and money, while also making the entire process safer for staff and shareholders. The Hawera Distribution Centre was the

result, which continues to act as a pilot for distribution centres moving forward. Stocky’s other love was rugby. He balanced his time in the paddocks with time on the footy field and over the years rose to become a prominent referee in the Taranaki area. A vocal Taranaki supporter – particularly when visiting Farmlanders in other regions – Stocky’s beloved amber and blacks were a consistent source of banter. Rather than a black and white version, one team member in Taranaki gave the “black and amber” version: “I just think you knew where you were with him – there was nowhere in between. He was very up front. He was the sort of guy where you can take the fulla out of Hawera but you couldn’t take the Hawera out of him!”

Having been diagnosed with cancer, in January this year Stocky made the decision to retire. On 25th May, many Farmlanders gathered in Hawera with members of the farming community to help Stocky celebrate his retirement. Stocky’s commitment and legacy with Farmlands in Taranaki and further afield cannot be downplayed. Whether it was his prominent passion for our co-operative, or the often replayed hard case yarns (including the three separate occasions he filled his diesel vehicle with petrol), Stocky left his mark with those who had the pleasure of meeting him.

Keith Stockman was instrumental in leading the growth of our co-operative in the area. We as a business – and a family – are indebted to him.

| Stocky infront of the iconic Mt Taranaki.

Spring preview –we ask the experts

Farmlands has a wealth of knowledge throughout our network. We talk to some of our technical experts about what Farmlands shareholders should be looking into as we head into spring.

Grain and Seed – Elton Mayo, Feilding Agronomist

Successful crops don’t just happen, they require structure and planning. Remember the five P's – Prior Preparation Prevents

Poor Performance! If you are intending to grow a crop of any description in the coming spring, work should be well underway:

• Areas or paddocks identified.

• Issues dealt with – drainage, soil pH (soil test completed) and problem weeds identified – spike with spray-out chemistry if required. Understand grazing withholding and seed re-entry periods of herbicides and insecticides to be used – work backwards from target plant date. Cropping area ultimately in break crop already (annual rye/ oats) pre the main spring crop.

• External contractors spoken to and work scheduled.

• Seed pre-ordered, so you get the variety/hybrid of choice and on time – as certain seed treatments may take longer.

• Forage crop selection considerations – spring, summer, winter feed requirements or maturity requirement of crop (rape), stock class, multiple or single graze, multiyear finishing crop, liveweight gain or maintenance.

• Chemistry used on this spring’s crop can impact the next crop rotation (residual chemical).

• Are your environmental commitments being met? Sensitive areas, buffer zones, potential run-off –conventional cultivation vs direct drill.

• Grazing planning – reduce overland flow and maximise filtration of contaminants by the crop plants, sloping paddocks should be grazed top to bottom. For the same reason, if there is a waterway in the paddock, feed towards it. Check out your Regional Council rules for details about the buffer zone requirements in your area. Once your crop has been established, start thinking about your next crop (seed) requirement, autumn or spring re-grassing. Seed is a perishable item (endophyte/germination), so our team loves nothing more than working with our shareholders early in the process, to ensure we have the right stock on-hand for your requirements, in the desired volume. We need to balance storage levels with shareholder needs, so engaging early is a great way to secure your seed for the seasons ahead. With a summer or winter crop, as a farmer you know exactly what area is in crop and you have somewhere between 6 and 12 months before your next seed requirement. Talk to Farmlands as early as possible, to allow our wholesale partners to forecast and/ or prioritise seed dressing and treating.

| Elton Mayo, Feilding Agronomist.

Agriculture – Simon Bailey, Amberley Technical Field Officer

The months of August and September are the busiest on the farming calendar – and we know everyone is just getting stuck in!

Prices have been holding well and good rainfall has helped out a lot of areas. From a sheep and beef perspective, depending on where you are in the country, everyone will be busy with either pre-lamb drenching or lambing. That means tailing supplies will be moving to the front of your mind over the next month or so, as well as a broad look at animal health – the quality of your stock and the condition of your lambs and ewes. Everyone is busy with lambing and calving, so rural infrastructure tends to be a bit quiet at the moment, apart from getting the last bits of fencing done. Dairy wise, it’s all about calving.

Mycoplasma bovis is obviously a big talking point but making sure calves get off to a good start should be a priority. Preventing animal health issues through good practices is front and centre at the moment, as is providing quality feed. We know it is a pretty flat out time, no matter what operation you’re running!

Fuel

With spring just around the corner, it’s important to make sure your fuel supply is going to meet your needs. Most Farmlands Fuel customers are set up on recurring frequency deliveries, set up to keep tanks from running dry but a lot can change in a year and it’s time to look at usage needs compared to last year.

Frequencies have evolved – we now offer seasonal frequencies, meaning that flexibility and adaptability to usage can be factored in to not only meet peak requirement but also ensure we don’t turn up on-farm for deliveries that aren’t required. These needs are easily discussed by contacting the Farmlands Fuel team on 0800 666 626.

With delivery runs being based around set frequency customer volumes and requirements, our phone-in customers’ orders are added in to delivery runs using spare capacity. Spring is a time where call-in volume can spike, so we encourage shareholders to be think ahead about their fuel needs. Although Farmlands can give expected delivery dates to orders – and in most cases orders are part of the next run

in the area – we recommend that tank levels are closely monitored and orders are made proactively and in advance of low stocks. In the case of spring orders, the earlier the better gives the best chance of prompt delivery, as runs fill up very quickly. Our recommendation for customers with seasonal spikes in usage is to call Farmlands and clarify needs early, making sure delivery frequencies match your needs. Also look to move to a delivery frequency, even for a short period, so volumes and deliveries can be planned for in advance. Our team of Fuel Account Managers are always ready to discuss your needs and find the best solution to keep you and your gear moving.

– Nick Carter, Logistics and Customer Services Manager

| Simon Bailey, Amberley Technical Field Officer.

| Nick Carter, Fuel Logistics and Customer Services Manager.

Farmlands Card – Penny McLean, Upper South Island Card Account Manager

August is a great time to do checks on your capital equipment. Getting all your machinery serviced or even upgraded before spring allows you to then focus on all the ground work to get done for the summer. Norwoods (New Holland) offer 5 percent off parts and servicing when paid for on the Farmlands Card. Your garden and lawn growth is about to pick up again as well. Get your mower its yearly service or new blades and check your pruning equipment – your local Stihl shop offers a 2.5 percent rebate on anything under $3,000. Of course, spring also means spring cleaning time. Look at getting your house, roof, dairy shed or farm shed cleaned – Washrite are one our national Card Partners and will offer a 7.5 percent discount when you use your Farmlands Card. Finally, power is always a big expense for a business. Why not get a quote from one or both of our nationwide partners for electricity – Meridian

and Genesis? They are both very competitive with pricing. You will also receive a 12 percent prompt payment discount plus a 2 percent rebate.

Nutrition – Chris Stephens, Nutrition Specialist

On 1st September, many shareholders will face a new challenge and potentially need to address PKE intake. The new grading system (Fat Evaluation Index) for Fonterra suppliers recommends a maximum of 3kg/cow/day PKE intake. With the challenges of spring, normally increasing PKE in feed hasn’t been an issue. However, NRM Nutrition Specialists can assist shareholders by formulating or blending a range of other commodity feeds, straights and/or compound feed options, which can also add valuable starch, protein and energy into the diet. Mycoplasma bovis is another challenge shareholders are facing across the country and one of our NRM products is already significantly influencing on-farm environment biosecurity measures and helping to manage the spread of this disease. Virkon S

is a market leading broad-spectrum disinfectant, recommended by MPI, which can be used to spray vehicles, trailers, surfaces and foot baths on your property. Virkon S is supported by robust science and approved for the treatment of Mycoplasma bovis. It will kill pathogens including Mycoplasma bovis in 30 seconds to 2 minutes on contact and will work in the different climates and conditions shareholders experience across the country.

Virkon S also kills a wide range of viruses, bacteria and fungi around your calf sheds. It is so safe it can be sprayed over your calves in the pens, protecting them against any airborne pathogens. Keep an eye out for the new easy to use Virkon S 5g tablet available now through Farmlands. Keep in mind that Mycoplasma bovis has increased interest in calf milk replacers, so shareholders are encouraged to contract forward as supply may be limited.

| Chris Stephens, Nutrition Specialist

| Penny McLean, Upper South Island Account Manager.

Horticulture – Mike Annand, Eastern Sales Manager

Coming into spring, growers may need to take extra care with the wet weather we have had over the winter. Growers should keep an eye on and possibly stay away from those blocks that are waterlogged (wet feet) if planning to use dormancy breakers. Winter chill accumulation has been tracking relatively well and growers should look at the timing of dormancy breakers around 680-720 chill units. For young blocks, it is a good idea to apply a bud breaker to help compress bloom. This will also assist with the control of fire blight. Short flowering is a lot easier to manage than a prolonged flowering. Stonefruit growers will very soon be facing bud movement, if not already on early blocks. So growers should be close to having early sprays applied.

Contact your Farmlands Technical Advisor if you require any help with the timing of applications.

Finally, for those that have frost protection equipment, now is the opportune time to check and ensure it is ready to go before the frost season kicks in.

Real Estate – Chris Neilson and Nic Shaw, Timaru Real Estate Salespeople

While the rural market across New Zealand is sluggish, we are busy in South Canterbury selling residential and lifestyle properties. Traditionally there is a winter slowdown and while this has happened in many areas, South Canterbury is bucking the trend. Don’t wait until later in spring, now is as good a time to sell – due to strong sales recently, our listing stocks are low and we still have buyers who haven’t found their perfect place yet.

Our colleagues in Manawatu/ Wanganui, Wairarapa and Otago have all experienced strong residential and lifestyle sales and re-iterate the need for new listings. We have to compete hard for every listing and being able to give shareholders a better deal on commission rates certainly helps us win this battle. Finally, we would like all shareholders to know that no matter where you are in New Zealand, there should be a Farmlands Real Estate Salesperson you can call for all your real estate needs. We have teamed up to provide shareholders with twice the real estate service in South Canterbury. We wanted to offer shareholders something new in real estate this spring, so what better than double the knowledge, experience and service!

| Chris Neilson and Nic Shaw, Timaru Real Estate Salespeople.

| Mike Annand, Eastern Sales Manager.

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Call for PHOTOGRAPHERS

Farmlands shareholders are guardians of the land. That’s why we want you to send us your photos and tell us your stories for the 2019 Farmlands calendar.

Hurry, entries close Friday 24th August 2018

Home is where the heart is. This year, we asked you to share your best photos of the parts of paradise you call home and we’ve received so many fantastic entries!

To enter your photo, head to www.farmlands.co.nz/calendar

We’ve created the shortlist and now it’s your turn to vote for your favourite.

The 12 winning photos will receive a place in the calendar and a $200 Farmlands voucher, with the photo selected for the cover receiving an additional $300 Farmlands voucher!

The 12 winning photos will receive a place in the calendar and a $200 Farmlands voucher, with the photo selected for the cover receiving an additional $300 Farmlands voucher!

Head to www.farmlands.co.nz/calendar right now to vote.

Terms and Conditions apply. Visit www.farmlands.co.nz/calendarterms

Terms and Conditions apply. Calendar voting runs from 1st – 30th September 2016.

BREATHE EASY THIS CALVING SEASON

Articles in the Plan 365 section allow Farmlands suppliers to share best practice and the latest advances in rural technology, to help shareholders with their farming needs all year round.

Ways to minimise the post-weaning slump

When the milk pay-out dropped in the 2015/2016 season, a lot of cow’s milk was fed to calves and farmers reported that they struggled post-weaning off milk. There are several ways to avoid a post-weaning slump after milk has been removed from the calf diet:

• Limit long fibre intakes of young calves when housed. In trials, calves have only consumed straw at 20g/ kg total solid feed intake or hay at 50g/kg total solid feed intake, although they wasted about three times more than they consumed. If long fibre is easily available, especially if it is appealing like some pea straw and lucerne hay, calves tend to eat too much and have less interest in trough feed. NRM Ready Rumen contains some lucerne chaff, so is a good option for controlled delivery of long fibre to housed young calves.

• Limit fat concentration in the diet both in the milk and hard feed. High fat milk tends to be satisfying

for calves and reduces interest in hard feed. Milk from the vat tends to be richer in fat relative to protein compared to milk replacer. Fortifying cow’s milk with calf milk replacer is one way to shift the fat to protein ration and increase nutrient intake without increasing feeding volumes. High energy calf feeds rich in by-products can be high in fat to reach target energy levels but their fat content may limit rumen development and dry matter intakes.

• Consider a whey based milk replacer like NRM Power Whey to finish off milk feeding after transition milk has been used up – it tends to digest faster than casein based powders, so calves are looking for feed between meals.

• Intakes of loose meals may be good initially but tend to reach a peak, whereas pelleted feed intake seems to keep rising. If you are not satisfied with how meal intakes are tracking, try a well-formed pellet like NRM GrowUp 20%.

• Avoid stale feed building up in feed troughs and feeders –especially when wet, as it will quickly mold and deter intakes.

• Ensure calves always have easy access to clean drinking water.

• Only wean off milk when hard feed intakes are at least 1kg/ head/day for Jersey calves, up to 1.5kg/day for Friesians.

• Weigh calves and wean small ones later if they are to have any chance of catching up with their bigger herd mates.

• Avoid stresses at weaning such as disbudding, castration and vaccinations, if possible avoid periods of inclement weather.

• Keep on a 20 percent protein starter feed for a while after weaning and be prepared to not drop to a 16 percent if pasture quality is not excellent.

• Don’t be afraid to ask for help if faced with a new problem – every year poses a different challenge.

• Avoid worker fatigue – as the season wears on people can get tired and performance levels drop.

To see some great calf rearing tips, perhaps stock up on popcorn one evening and work your way through the 17 Farmlands calf rearing videos – available on the Nutrition section of the Farmlands website. The videos will offer something to both new and experienced calf rearers, following the calf rearing process from picking up newborn calves in the paddock through to weighing weaned calves.

Article supplied by Rob Derrick, Nutritionist.

| Don’t be afraid to ask for help if faced with a new problem – every year poses a different challenge.

Rearing Dairy Beef calves?

Practical tips for preventing abomasal bloat in lambs

Anyone that has had a go at rearing orphan lambs is quite likely to have had to deal with abomasal bloat. It can often strike your “good doers” well into the rearing process, which can be quite devastating, particularly for the younger lamb rearers out there.

There are however, some simple steps that you can take to help minimise the risk in your lambs –whether you’re rearing a couple for pet day at school or even if you are rearing lambs on a larger scale.

Abomasal bloat is primarily caused by bacteria that feed on lactose. When there is an influx of lactose into the stomach these lactose-consuming bacteria increase in activity, converting the lactose into lactic acid. This in turn changes the environment of the abomasum and causes a build-up of gas, which in severe cases can cause death. Abomasal bloat is such a common issue in lambs that are reared artificially, because lambs naturally prefer their milk feeds “little and often” – much more so than calves do. This means that in an artificial rearing system, when feeds per day are decreased and the volume of milk is increased per feed due to practicality and time constraints, the influx of lactose into the system is higher than naturally would be, which sets off the chain of events causing bloat. When milk is overfed even in one isolated feeding event, abomasal bloat can occur, so it’s worth taking some practical steps to decrease the risk.

• Use a milk replacer designed specifically for lambs. Calf milk replacers tend to have a higher lactose level than lamb milk replacers and generally higher copper levels, so are not appropriate for lambs.

• Stick to the feeding recommendations on the bag for lamb milk replacers in terms of mixing rates, volume fed per feed and number of feeds per day.

• Do not allow lambs to gorge on milk. Some lambs will have stronger suckling reflex than others, particularly if you are keeping a mixture of ages together. Using compartment feeders or individual bottles can help to control how much each lamb drinks. Pay attention at feeding time and as lambs fill up, take them off the feeder (make sure to keep a close eye on children if they are helping at feeding time).

• Automatic milk feeders are the gold standard for rearing lambs, as they allow lambs to milk feed as and when they want to, which mimics natural suckling behaviour. This is obviously not an option for everyone but is worth considering for larger scale rearing operations. One study looking at the feeding behaviour of lambs on an automatic feeding system found that lambs had an average of 9.5 feeding events per day, which averaged 176ml per feed*, so this just demonstrates how important “little and often” is for lambs.

• Check the teats on your feeder are in good working order. If the rubber is worn out, milk will be able to flow more readily through the teats and can encourage gorging.

• Consider “yoghurtising” the milk before it is fed. This is a technique that has proven very effective in commercial situations. It involves making up a yoghurt culture with the lamb milk replacer and feeding this rather than just the lamb milk replacer and water alone. This technique is thought to work through adding beneficial bacteria to the milk, as well as shifting the pH of the milk. Beef + Lamb New Zealand has created a fact sheet on this method, “Artificial lamb rearing – managing abomasal bloat”, which can be found on their Knowledge Hub at www.beeflambnz.com

• Consider feeding milk replacer cold rather than warm (mix up warm as per instructions on the bag and then allow to cool before feeding).

• Offer a hard feed option to lambs early on. Not only does it help stimulate rumen development and allow earlier weaning off milk but it can also help to keep them satisfied between milk feeds.

NRM’s new Lamb Start Mix with Deccox is a great option and has the added benefit of helping to protect lambs against coccidiosis. For more information, contact your local Nutrition Specialist.

*Feeding behaviour of artificially reared Romane lambs. March 2014. I. David, F. Bouvier, E. Ricard, J. Ruesche and J. L. Weisbecker.

Article supplied by Stacey Cosnett, Nutritionist.

Good nutrition supports early growth rates

With spring just around the corner, there is naturally a proliferation of young animals on properties across the country.

On dairy farms, the focus will be on early lactation and feeding calves to ensure early rumen development and good growth rates. In the same way, anyone wanting to grow young chicks for either egg production or as meat birds for the freezer, must provide a well-balanced diet for these young birds if growth rates are to be optimised. Chicks should have access to a good quality feed and clean, fresh water from day old. Sprinkling a little of the feed on tissue paper or newsprint placed in front of or around the feeders for the first 7 days can help to encourage feed intake. This paper can be removed between days 7 and 14. Feeders should be filled to their highest level, making it easy for chicks to access the feed. Once chicks are eating well, be careful not to overfill feeders, as this results in waste. Bright lighting in the first weeks helps to ensure that chicks find feed and water and helps them adjust to the new environment. Lighting can be reduced after the first week, with the number of hours provided reducing as birds get older.

To ensure good early growth rates and frame development, choose a good quality chick feed, in the form of a crumble, that is high in good quality protein and energy and which is balanced for macro (e.g. calcium and phosphorus) and trace minerals. The NRM range of poultry feeds contains two diets formulated specifically with

the growth of young birds in mind. Both NRM Chick Starter and NRM Meat Bird Crumble are formulated to contain a combination of grains as an energy source, quality proteins for lean tissue development and a balanced supply of macro and trace minerals and vitamins – providing the essential nutrients required to support growth and development in young chicks. Added organic acids and essential oils present in the NRM range of poultry feeds help to support gut health in the young growing bird, improving the digestion of nutrients available in the feed. NRM Chick Starter is ideal for young laying hens and contains a coccidiostat to aid in the control of coccidiosis. The NRM Meat Bird crumble is ideal for rapidly growing meat chickens and is also suitable for turkeys and game bird species. From about 6 weeks of age, the feed offered to layer chicks can be changed from a chick starter to a pullet grower to

ensure that birds do not get overweight. Regular monitoring of the weight of your chicks is important to ensure they are consuming enough feed, so that they are growing at the expected rate and that they are meeting their recommended growth targets (available from the poultry breeder).

Just as providing a high quality feed is important to ensure good growth rates, ensuring that birds are kept in a clean, well-ventilated but not drafty environment is vital if birds are to be as healthy as possible.

As with any youngstock, investing some time and energy in making sure that young chicks are fed well, kept warm and that any disease risks are minimised will help to ensure good early growth rates and a productive lifetime for these animals.

For further information, contact your local Nutrition Specialist. Article supplied by Natalie Chrystal, Nutritionist.

*Terms and Conditions apply. At participating New World stores excluding Broadway, Churton Park, Hutt City, Miramar, Newlands, Newtown, Railway Station, Silverstream, Stokes Valley, Whitby, Southmall, Khandallah.

Lamb rearing made viable

Feeding a whey-based milk replacer in an ad-lib feeding system has been a break-through for rearing orphan lambs, according to sheep farmer Peter Black, who up until 3 years ago was frustrated at lamb mortality from abomasal bloat.

Peter and his wife Marion farm in the Riverton district of western Southland. Their farm, Blackdale, is home to 4,000 ewes and lambing hoggets. The high fertility flock has ewes scanning around 200 percent. To reduce lamb losses, 150-180 lambs are reared off mum, with the ewe flocks rearing over 170 percent.

“Losses from abomasal bloat, which can take some of the best lambs after a lot has been invested in them, was a discouraging aspect of rearing orphan lambs,” Peter explains.

“In 2015, we heard about a whey milk replacer for lambs from a rearer who said she no longer had any issues with bloat. Once we learned more about the digestive properties of whey, we figured it was worth trying.”

At the same time, they introduced ad-lib feeding with an automatic milk feeder.

Peter says they haven’t looked back – successfully raising the majority of their orphan lambs each year since.

The whey milk replacer the Blacks use is AgriVantage’s Sprayfo Primo

Lamb. Peter highly recommends both the product and ad-lib feeding, for three main reasons.

“The primary reason we’re advocates of Sprayfo, is that abomasal bloat is no longer a concern for us,” Peter says. Sprayfo Primo Lamb is specifically formulated for lambs. It contains hydrolysed wheat protein, an ingredient proven to have better digestive properties than other commonly used protein sources (such as soy), offering a safer option for young lambs.

Of course, being whey-based, it’s also more easily digested in the gut than standard casein (whole milk) powders. Where casein forms a curd within the abomasum and takes several hours to digest, whey does not curd and is quickly digested, reducing the risk of abomasal bloat.

Secondly, the lambs gain weight much faster. Peter confirms that they are weaning the lambs a lot quicker than previously.

This is because the rapid digestion of whey encourages animals to seek out concentrates earlier, which aids rumen development and increases growth rates. Blackdale lambs have ad-lib access to lucerne and pellets from day one.

Peter adds that the lambs fortunate

to get off to a good start – with adequate colostrum and no major check – do best with ad-lib feeding and grow quickly.

“Last year (in late October), the first batch of lambs weaned at 16 to 25kg, averaging 7 weeks old. They grew at an average of 320g per day. This is competitive with our ewe reared triplets.”

He notes that the lambs are more content too. “We used to have the lambs bellowing for feed as we approached the shed, now they are surprised to see us!”

Thirdly, Peter says Sprayfo is easy to mix with water. “It’s not sticky and it makes cleaning the automatic feeder very easy. We’re still using the same tubes after 3 years.”

Peter adds that the support he has received from AgriVantage is invaluable. “Warren [from AgriVantage] looks after us, he ensured we had product when supply was short in the past few seasons. And he’s given us some good rearing tips,” he says.

“Having found a satisfactory and much easier way of rearing orphans, it’s now a viable option,” Peter concludes. For more information, contact your local Nutrition Specialist. Article supplied by AgriVantage.

Get set for spring

Good nutrient management advice can save time (and money) when it counts most.

Spring is unsurprisingly one of the peak stress times on-farm. Whereas in autumn, causes of stress are often financial or environmental (e.g. trying to recover after a dry summer), in spring the key stress factor is usually time – or lack of it. Faced with too much to do and not enough time to do it, many farmers push themselves to the limit during this busy season.

Fatigue and stress can impact on team and family relationships, on productivity and work quality, on the number of accidents and on your general physical and mental wellbeing. There are many practical tips to help you through the busy period, from planning rosters, to ordering key supplies in advance but one thing that can make a significant and lasting

difference is making use of experts. Often when time is short we go into “default” mode and just do what we have always done. This may be the easiest option in the shortterm but can short change your farm business in the long-term.

For example, with fertiliser application sure to be on your spring “to do” list, maximise the opportunity by getting the right advice. A good adviser can tailor a nutrient management plan to your farm’s needs that will use nutrient inputs to best effect (and possibly with less work) with benefits for your financial and environmental bottom lines.

Regulatory limits on phosphorus and nitrogen limits are coming into play in many parts of the country. Getting to grips with the requirements in your region and the strategies to reduce nutrient loss can be another source of stress.

Timesaving technology

New Zealand farmers have been quick to take to their keyboards and touchscreens to order and manage their nutrients online, joining MyBallance at a rate of 100 a week since it launched in March 2018. Farmers told the MyBallance development team that what they wanted most was time. MyBallance carves time out of busy days to invest in other things – more time with family, or more time to deal with the demands of spring. See more at www.myballance.co.nz

Every farm is different and it takes time to weigh up all the options and work out which one, or which combination, will deliver the results you are after. Some solutions are expensive, so you need to be sure it is the right choice. Again, this is an area where a knowledgeable consultant can make all the difference. Recognising this, Ballance Agri-Nutrients has established its Farm Sustainability Services team to help farmers understand the regulatory framework, track farm nutrient flows, establish nutrient benchmarks and budgets and develop farm environment plans. When times get busy, don’t forget there’s a network of knowledgeable people that can help you out. For further information, contact your Farmlands Technical Field Officer or the friendly team at your local Farmlands store.

Article supplied by Ballance Agri-Nutrients.

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Preparation makes perfect for introducing beet

In the past, one of the biggest challenges for Oxford dairy farmer Harry Meijer was having to manage cow condition with “winter too short and transition too long for us to put weight on cows”.

Fodder beet very quickly became a valued tool in his operation after he was encouraged to incorporate it on-farm for late lactation feed by his Farmlands Technical Field Officer, Malcolm Wyllie.

Four years on, Harry has been growing exceptional crops of Jamon fodder beet on the platform for autumn feeding in a bid to improve cow condition and optimise the winter benefit. “It’s an expensive crop to grow if you get it wrong, so you have to get it right and Malcolm is an important part of the whole process,” Harry says.

Harry milks 800 cows on 240ha and 5.5ha of beet is grown on the platform to put weight on cows through autumn and to aid transitioning onto winter beet paddocks. He has been able to budget on and achieve 25t DM/ha yields each year – and credits this to good soil preparation and solid agronomic advice.

“Choice of cultivar is also an important part of the equation when it comes to high yields. I was recommended to grow Jamon by my Farmlands Technical Field Officer, did some ‘Googling’ and saw that it’s a consistent performer in New Zealand trials, which helped us decide to grow Jamon for the last 4 years,” Harry says. It didn’t take long for Harry to see the value in this cultivar choice. “Plant population and consistency of bulb size has a far

greater influence on yield for me, rather than big individual bulbs with gaps.”

The cows are transitioned onto fodder beet in early April and allocated a calculated break for a limited period of time. Time on the crop is increased by 5 minutes per day until the maximum allocation for milkers of 5kg/cow/ day is reached. Prior to using beet, a lot of maize silage was fed out in the autumn. “Now the cows eat the supplement in situ, put better weight on, get more days in-milk and are able to maintain 1kgMS right up until the week before dry-off,” Harry says. During the last week of milking, the allocation of beet is gradually lifted to 8kg/cow/day, straw is fed out and protein intake is reduced. “This does a good job of shutting them down to dry-off and cuts down transition days at the winter block,” Harry explains.

The herd is wintered on kale and beet, as he has found both feeds fit into the rotation really well at his run-off block. Before beet, everything was allocated – 11kg of kale, 4kg of silage and 2kg of straw – and was achieving ½ BCS gain. “And we needed to,” Harry says. Harry has found fodder beet does such a good job at increasing liveweight, they now have to be careful they don’t exceed BCS 5. “We have had a go at seeing what beet cows could eat and got up to 12kg/day but we pulled back from that,” Harry says. They limit beet to 9kg with 5kg of good quality silage and straw in feeders. For further information, contact your Farmlands Technical Field Officer or the friendly team at your local Farmlands store.

Article supplied by Agricom.

| Harry Meijer and local Farmlands Techncial Field Officer, Malcolm Wyllie in Harry’s paddock of Jamon fodder beet.

Productivity and sustainability key drivers on-farm

Here in New Zealand, productive farming and economic prosperity are intrinsically linked. We lead the world when it comes to grass-fed milking systems and recent years have seen a stronger commitment to the preservation of our environment from our farmers.

Farmers are caretakers of the land and one such farmer based in the Bay of Plenty is taking great steps to make sure he’s doing his part for the environment with the use of an environmental plantain.

Phil James is a contract milker on a 150ha property in Waimana. Running 200 cows at peak milk, Phil’s farming ethos is all about growing high quality dry matter in a way that limits his footprint and keeps as much nitrogen in the ground as possible. Before sharemilking in Waimana, Phil

worked on a property in Otorohanga, where the owner would broadcast

Tonic plantain when spreading his fertiliser. Phil has transferred that way of thinking onto his Waimana property and progressed it further by diversifying his pastures and consistently broadcasting every season. When Farmlands Technical Field Officer, Mark Beer talked about environmental plantain Ecotain® with Phil, he was excited about the prospect of reducing his nitrogen leaching, so has moved to sowing it in his pasture mixes and broadcasting programme. Recently recognised for its contribution to the future of farming with the Launch Innovation New Zealand award at the National Fieldays, Ecotain is fast gaining a reputation for its ability to mitigate nitrogen leaching along with being highly productive and great for animal performance.

Amongst other work, a 2017 Lincoln university lysimeter study showed a reduction in nitrogen leaching from the urine patch of 89 percent.

Backed by substantial research findings from Lincoln and Massey universities and Plant and Food Research, Agricom launched Ecotain in September 2017. Ecotain functions in pasture systems to reduce nitrogen leaching in four independent ways. It increases the volume of cows’ urine, which dilutes the concentration of nitrogen and it reduces the total amount of dietary nitrogen in animals’ urine. It also delays the process of turning ammonium into nitrate in the urine patch and it restricts the accumulation of nitrate in soil.

Understanding the need to maintain the integrity of the environment without compromising quality, Phil has the goal to get Ecotain across his whole property. Every season Phil will broadcast Ecotain and chicory into the gaps in pastures that would otherwise fill with weeds. The paddocks he renovated this past autumn include a hybrid ryegrass along with Ecotain and chicory – and he’s had great success with this mix.

“The diverse pasture mixes are working really well for me. The cows love it and in droughts, Ecotain and chicory just keep growing,” Phil explains. “It’s visual through summer and the cows respond with more milk in the vat.”

The inclusion of Ecotain and chicory into the mix is also a benefit from an animal health perspective. Both contain a high mineral content with high forage quality and good protein levels, along with proven ability to increase milk production during summer when ryegrass struggles.

“We [dairy farmers] face a lot of scrutiny and get a hard time in the media. I’m hoping more farmers get on-board with Ecotain, it’s easy to get on-farm and it’s good for the environment,” Phil says.

Environmental sustainability and viable profitable farming go hand in hand and Ecotain is proving to be a great tool for farmers that are interested in lowering their impact.

For further information, contact your Farmlands Technical Field Officer or the friendly team at your local Farmlands store.

Article supplied by Agricom.

| Farmlands Technical Field Officer, Mark Beer and contract milker, Phil James.

Know your withholding times

Withholding periods are applied to veterinary medicines to keep people safe and our trade secure, so it’s important they are followed properly.

You might think similar products have similar withholding times, however this is not necessarily the case – they can be very different and the consequences of using them incorrectly may be serious. Choosing products with zero (nil) withholding periods, where available, will aid in reducing this risk. One example is the use of products for internal parasite and/or lice control. Most oral and injectable drenches have set milk and meat withholding periods, which include bobby calves. Some pour-on drenches have a nil milk withhold but may have meat and bobby calf withholding periods. However, a few pour-on drenches, such as Cydectin® Pour-On, have zero milk, meat and bobby calf withholding periods. This means that they can be used at any stage of pregnancy

or lactation and the milk and bobby calves do not have to be withheld from the vat or slaughter following treatment of the cow. This provides peace of mind when treating animals prior to calving or during early lactation. Relying on these types of products reduces the risk of accidental treatment with the wrong product and incorrect application of withholding periods, which might result in withheld milk from the vat or prevent the sale of bobby calves for an extended period. Ideally, adult cows shouldn’t need to be treated for worms but in some situations it is necessary. Parasites affect a cow’s production in two ways – firstly, the direct effects they have on the gut lining, impairing digestion and absorption of nutrients. Secondly, the way the animal’s immune system responds to these invaders by diverting proteins (immunoglobulins) and inflammatory cells to combat parasites. With no parasites present, these proteins would go towards

milk production, weight gain and/or reproduction. Stock are generally more susceptible to the adverse effects of parasites around calving and early lactation. Treatment of cows at this time, particularly those in less than ideal body condition or which may be under stress from disease, lameness or high parasite burden, can be very beneficial. Cydectin Pour-On provides some of the best parasite control available against key productionlimiting parasites of adult cattle, with 35 days control of Ostertagia ostertagi and 28 days control of Trichostrongylus axei and with its zero withholding periods for milk, meat and bobby calves, you can rely on Cydectin Pour-On at any time for those cows that need it. For further information, contact your Farmlands Technical Field Officer or the friendly team at your local Farmlands store.

Cydectin is a registered trademark of Zoetis. ACVM No A6203. Article supplied by Zoetis.

Providing stock handling training ahead of spring tasks

Spring brings jobs such as lice treatments, vaccinations, BVD testing for bulls and drenching of yearling heifers – which all means close contact with sheep or cattle.

“The spring months are also one of the peak times for ACC claims for injuries such as being hit or bitten by an animal, being trapped between moving and stationary objects and for muscular stress,” WorkSafe New Zealand Sector

Lead, Agriculture, Al McCone says.

“Much of that is related to working at close quarters with large animals – as well as the lifting associated with calves and lambs.

“Planning ahead now to ensure your employees are trained to identify and manage the risks around those seasonal demands will help everyone manage them better – and limit the chances of injury and of people being off sick when you need all hands on board.”

Farmers don’t need to be told that cattle and sheep have a huge weight advantage, move fast – or that agitated cattle or sheep are a particular risk.

However, every year, many ACC reports are filed over people being injured, mostly through kicking and crushing.

“Handling cattle at close quarters, like in a race or a crush and loading and unloading cattle for transport is one of the times when there’s a higher risk of being injured,” Al says.

“With sheep, mustering can be a very risky task – particularly if using twowheel motorbikes or quads. When we look at vehicle incidents, often the operator has divided their attention

between watching stock and driving the vehicle. Best practice is to stop the vehicle if you need to look away from where your vehicle is going.

“In addition, manually handling sheep, working with them in yards, drenching, vaccinating, crutching, shearing and working with rams often frequently feature in accident claims.”

Age is a significant factor – older farmers and children tend to be those most at risk of injury around cattle.

Fatigue also affects the ability to make good judgements and move swiftly.

“Cattle and sheep handling is a skill that comes with time and experience,” Al says. “Skilled handlers will understand more about how animals behave and react and know their balance lines. They will know about the ‘flight zone’ for pastoral animals, where to stand and how to move and how to work together to get the stock to do what they want, quietly, smoothly and safely.

“Clearly farmworkers need a way to gain that experience but they need proper training before they get involved

with the hands-on side. WorkSafe provides comprehensive materials on safe handling of cattle and sheep, including covering all these factors, which farmers can download and use in training their workers.”

Farmers should provide an induction for all new employees, including showing them around the farm and telling them about risks and safety procedures. They should identify what skills, knowledge or competencies workers will need to do each task and be prepared to provide training for workers who are not up to scratch – either by using external training providers or by providing on-farm instruction. Records should be kept of employee training and instruction –identifying which jobs each employee can do and which they can’t do. No one should be doing work until they are trained and/or properly supervised. Visit www.worksafe.govt.nz for Safe Cattle Handling Guidelines and Safe Sheep Handling Guidelines. Article supplied by WorkSafe.

| Every year many ACC reports are filed over people being injured, mostly through kicking and crushing.

Shout Out –recognising our staff

Thanks to the support of our shareholders, Shout Out –the Farmlands reward and recognition programme – has had a fantastic start.

Shout Out recognises Farmlands staff that go the extra mile for our shareholders. Initially launched in 2016, Shout Out began as a chance for staff to recognise and reward their peers for the outstanding service they provided. We re-launched Shout Out last month to also include shareholders, to hear directly from you about deserving Farmlands staff.

The Farmlands Shout Out programme

is a way for you to let us know if one of our team members has made your experience with Farmlands a great one. Ideally, we like Shout Outs that align with one of our six Farmlands Values – Unity, Trust, Courage, Influence, Forward Thinking and Integrity.

Each month, up to three Shout Outs will be chosen to receive a voucher from either New World, Challenge or Noel Leeming.

The Shout Out programme has already proven a success since we launched it to shareholders. There are plenty of great stories coming in, along with acknowledgement for the Farmlanders that go above and beyond while

representing your co-operative, so thank you for your contributions to date and please keep them coming! We want to build on that success.

If you know of a Farmlander that deserves a Shout Out, let us know!

With 82 stores and 1,400 staff, there are plenty of untold tales out there. We want to hear all about them, so we can recognise those that make the customer experience with Farmlands that much better.

To recognise a Farmlands staff member with a Shout Out, visit www.farmlands.conz/shoutout and complete the form.

The New Zealand Century Farm and Station Awards aim to capture and preserve the history of our country’s farming families. Each month we will share stories from Farmlands shareholders who have worked their land for 100 years or more.

Boleyn family celebrates more than 160 years

The Boleyn family have farmed at Logiealmond, in Banks Peninsula, Canterbury, since 1856.

George (Bullions 1830-1912) Boleyn with his wife, Jenneth and their four children arrived in Lyttelton in 1851 on the Duke of Bronte. In 1853 they settled in Little Akaloa. Their oldest son, James, aged 20 years walked over the hill to Stoney Bay West and settled on the densely forested land. In 1856, he purchased Lot Number 1042, a 50 acre section, eventually increasing his holdings to 670 acres. In 1862, James married Elizabeth Lawson and had six children. After Elizabeth’s death in 1886, he married Charlotte Burness. James died in 1912. When Charlotte died, she left her share of his estate to her family in England and with death duties, it left James’ sons, John and James Jnr, heavily mortgaged.

John Scott (1867-1939) and James William Alexander (Boleyn 18751958) held ownership of Logiealmond by milling their father’s cherished native bush reserve. They grew coltsfoot for stock food, milked a small herd of 30 cows and ran sheep. They divided the farm with James retaining the Stoney Bay Block and John the Stoney Bay Valley. James was an active, respected member of the community in Okains Bay. He helped build the Okains Bay Library, served on the Road Board and the Akaroa City Council. James married Caroline Mclean and they had seven children, with the farm passing to their youngest son, Alexander James (Boleyn 1918-2011). Alexander James (known as Jim) married Kathleen Foley and they had seven children. They stopped milking cows, increased the sheep numbers and farmed beef cattle. Jim purchased a 180 hectare block at the top of Okains Bay. Jim’s oldest son, Richard James (Boleyn) and his wife, Vivienne now farm Logiealmond

Richard and Vivienne have three children. They purchased a neighbouring block, increasing the farm to 456 hectares and continue to farm in a traditional sense as dictated by the land and weather.

| James and Elizabeth Boleyn, circa 1893.

| The homestead where Richard and Vivienne live today has been extended and renovated over the generations. | Stoney Bay, 1954.

SMART CHOICES FOR SMARTER HOMES

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A full-service security monitor packed into a smart globe, the Sengled Snap needs no wires and can simply be screwed directly into an existing socket. Perfect for keeping an eye on your property, it features 2-way voice communication, infrared vision, light schedule and live playback. Shareholder price $260 includes GST. 04320746.

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CRANSWICK TOM

MEMORIAL AWARD

PROUD T O SUPPORT tomorrow’ s r ural leaders

YOUR CHANCE TO RECEIVE ONE OF FIVE $2,000 STUDY GRANTS

Are you a Farmlands shareholder or the child of a Farmlands shareholder or staff member, currently studying at tertiary level in a discipline related to the primary sector? If so, you have the opportunity to apply for one of five Tom Cranswick Memorial Awards – each offering a $2,000 grant to help you during your primary sector study.

ABOUT THE AWARD

The Memorial Award is in honour of Tom Cranswick, a founding Farmlands Director who served on the Board until 1985, including 20 years as Chairman. His passion and dedication was a major influence in the establishment of Farmlands. The Cranswick family has been hugely supportive of Farmlands and it is an honour to offer this award in his memory.

WHAT ARE THE AWARDS FOR?

There are FIVE awards, valued at $2,000 each, to enable students through study to further their knowledge and experience and to achieve in their chosen careers, thus allowing them to contribute to the New Zealand primary sector.

Award applications close 31 st August 2018. For more information and to register, visit www.farmlands.co.nz/tomcranswick

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY?

Selection is contingent that as at 30 th June 2018:

• The applicant is aged 25 or under

• The applicant is a Farmlands shareholder or child of a Farmlands shareholder, whose shareholding has been continuous for two years or more; or a child of a current Farmlands employee whose parent has completed at least two years permanent continuous service

• The applicant is intending to enrol in a course of study in 2019, having already completed at least one year of tertiary education that is directly associated to the New Zealand rural/ primary sector (note: applicants who have not yet commenced their first year of tertiary study are not eligible to apply)

Legacy honours learning

Farmlands Director – People and Safety, Ruth Knewstubb discusses why it important to have initiatives such as the Tom Cranswick Memorial Award, to foster the primary sector’s next generation.

OVUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous) is a term I hear often these days. It is a sign of the perpetually changing landscape we live in – a more demanding, digitally connected and high-speed world where the promise of tomorrow is on your doorstep already.

It also means that our future primary sector leaders need to retain the basic lessons of the land that have not changed in generations and meld them with an entire new curriculum, which can change whenever technology advances (which is always).

Farmlands continues to support the Tom Cranswick Memorial Award for two reasons. The first is to honour the contributions of Tom Cranswick, who played a fundamental role in the

2017 AWARD WINNERS

formative years of our co-operative. The North Island part of our co-operative’s story began with a meeting at the Eskdale Hall (near Napier) in December 1962. Farmers put their hands up to join the co-operative and Tom Cranswick was shareholder number two. He served on the Farmlands Board until 1985, including 20 years as Chairman. His influential role in our business is not underestimated and it is fitting that the next generation of our sector (and our co-operative) can receive an award from someone who paved the way.

The second reason is as a co-operative, when we look to the future we see many opportunities on the horizon for our sector. A great deal of this promise sits on the shoulders of those with the passion to take these opportunities forward in the years to come.

Within our co-operative, our ambition is

to support our own people to grow and be future-focused. We know success will come if we lead the change and thus this will have an impact on the betterment of the New Zealand primary sector. Eventually, this will support better outcomes for all Kiwis.

Farmlands is committed to investing in the future of our sector with initiatives like the Tom Cranswick Memorial Awards. Just as Farmlands is on our journey from good to great, we want to recognise and acknowledge those at the beginning of their own journeys. As our sector looks to the next generation for the creation of great products and ideas, we seek to provide opportunities to Farmlands shareholders, staff and their families to lead the way.

| From left to right: Emily Fraser, Zac Johnson, Rory Harrigan, Nick Simpson and Courtney Bragg.

| Farmlands Director – People and Safety, Ruth Knewstubb.

Farmstrong Ambassador Sam Whitelock has made a series of body conditioning videos to help farmers and growers avoid injury and perform at their best. The Farmstrong Challenge video clips consist of warm-up stretches and strengthening routines which farmers and growers can do at home ten minutes each day to improve their core strength, balance and flexibility. They are designed for people of all shapes and sizes and require no special gym equipment.

Sam tried out the Challenge routines himself on Tony Coltman’s 1,500-cow dairy farm near Dunsandel recently and was impressed with results. “The idea behind the Farmstrong Challenge is great. If you’re a farmer, your farming performance is helped by how fit you are. If you have a sore back, knee, ankle and so on, your farm’s going to suffer and so are you. Keeping in shape helps you put your best into the farm, so the farm can give the best back to you.”

“By doing these warm-ups and stretches you wake up your body and give yourself that full range of movement – instead of just working within a narrow range of movement all day. It makes farming a lot easier on the body.”

“I’m encouraging all farmers to get in there and give the Challenge a go. Find a time that works for you, and lock them in. After a long, hard day on the farm, whether you’re crutching, shearing, or milking in a shed, the benefits will definitely be there. You’re going to feel stronger, fitter, reduce niggles and enjoy working a lot more.”

Spring to attention

We are heading into a very busy time of year with newborn animals on the ground, pruning to be done and planting to finish off.

Safety is a priority with fuel deliveries and it is the duty of the business owner to provide safe access to their workplaces, including access to fuel tanks for deliveries.

For safe fuel tanker delivery access, WorkSafe New Zealand advises that the fuel tanker should be able to enter a property safely from a public road. Ideally, the fuel tanker should be able to enter and exit the site with a clear view of traffic at all times.

Once on the property, the fuel tanker driver should have access to a track or road that is safe for the vehicle being used. The access track should be accessible in all weather and be in good repair. WorkSafe New Zealand also advises business owners to trim overhanging trees to avoid damaging the fuel tanker – in addition to this, care is needed when trimming trees to look out for overhead powerlines. Culverts or bridges should be able to take the weight of a fully laden fuel tanker, as well as being safe to cross. If there is doubt on the safety of a culvert or bridge, the business owner should be able to supply evidence to the fuel tanker driver that it is safe for the necessary traffic.

Business owners receiving fuel deliveries should also plan for turnarounds, so the fuel tanker does not have to reverse to the fuel delivery site. This minimises difficult reversing and manoeuvring.

The area between the fuel tanker and the fuel tank’s filling point should also have a good clearway. Obstacles such as rubbish, machinery and junk should not be within 3 metres of the tank legs. This means the fuel tanker driver can safely move between the tanker and the tank ladder. The tank delivery fill point should be clear of anything that could prevent the delivery hose nozzle from inserting completely into the tank. Make sure the fuel tanker driver can open

and access the tank dip and fill points from the ladder without stretching to reach. They should not have to climb off the ladder, or on to the tank, unless a suitable access platform is available. The fuel tanker driver should be able to see clearly into the fill point from the ladder while refuelling the tank. For further advice or information regarding fuel delivery access or fuel tank compliance at your property, contact the Farmlands Fuel team on 0800 666 626.

| Safety is a priority with fuel deliveries and it is the duty of the business owner to provide safe access to their workplaces.

when you sell with Farmlands Real Estate* $1,500 Bunnings Vouchers Go into the draw to WIN 1 of 10

Introducing The Badgers –the Farmlands farming family

For The Badgers, the family that sells together succeeds together.

Phil, Marlene and their daughter Danielle are The Badgers, the first family of Salespeople at Farmlands Real Estate. The Badgers made the switch from 20 years of dairy farming, bringing their industry background and knowledge to Farmlands Real Estate.

The Badgers have their own unique set of complementary skills. Phil’s work experience away from the dairy farm includes time in the transport sector, giving him dairy industry knowledge that covers the length of the supply chain. Marlene was a top 10 salesperson in Bay of Plenty last year, while Danielle’s professional background involves

property management experience.

Phil Badger says the family team have seen the potential within Farmlands Real Estate to cover all aspects of provincial real estate –farming, residential and lifestyle.

“We see the value in Farmlands as a company – we like that it is a co-operative that gives back to the people of New Zealand who support it,” he says.

Marlene says people always come first for The Badgers and it is a distinct advantage having three agents working together with a shared goal – a positive outcome for both the vendors and the purchasers.

“We have a vast buyer pool in all areas of real estate, due to our joint

years of sales,” Marlene says.

“Working together, we have the ability to create tailor-made packages to suit each property, due to our combined experience in sales, property management and understanding of market trends.”

Danielle is a fan of the co-operative model and appreciates that Farmlands is owned by everyday New Zealanders, rather than corporate companies. She encourages not only shareholders looking to buy or sell property to look at Farmlands Real Estate – she thinks other real estate agents should join the team.

“It’s a very progressive company. We have a point of difference by being part of a co-operative – the benefits are there for everyone to see.”

| Marlene, Phil and Danielle Badger.

Horse lover’s dream – 7.4 hectares

Well-appointed, 290m2, five bedroom family home set on an elevated site. High ceilings, open-plan kitchen/dining, family room that opens out to a sheltered BBQ area through double bi-fold doors. Separate lounge/theatre room fitted with a large dropdown screen, projector and sound system. Fully insulated, double glazed and heated by a heat pump. Fully operational training facility with 780m track, 11 stables/stalls, plus a large workshop, wash bay area, tack room and feed room. 4-bay hay barn/ implement shed 9m deep, two bays with roller doors. Deadline sale closing 4pm, 30 August 2018 (unless sold prior).

www.farmlandsrealestate.co.nz

John Beaufill

Lifestyle / Rural – Invercargill 027 431 0054

john.beaufill@farmlands.co.nz

www.farmlandsrealestate.co.nz

Country living at its best

Fully renovated and extended family friendly home with four bedrooms, plus office and open-plan living. Designer kitchen with large Rimu feature benches and island bar with polished Rimu floors. Kept warm with a Logaire multi-burner and two heat pumps, heat transfer system and an HRV system. Double garage with sleep-out, plus a single garage/garden shed/wood shed. A 2-bay implement shed, 80m2 man cave/workshop and four paddocks for the farmyard friends. Deadline sale closing 4pm, Wednesday 22 August 2018 (unless sold prior).

John Beaufill

Lifestyle / Rural – Invercargill 027 431 0054 john.beaufill@farmlands.co.nz

Avocados are here

The 13.5 hectare property is mainly flat to gentle rolling contour and is naturally sheltered. There are several avocado production blocks. There is a small olive grove with 50 trees with varieties J2, J5 and mission planted. Water is sourced from a community scheme and has its own abundant spring supply. Three bedroom, two level, rustic style home. Support structures include a 3-bay gable shed with concrete floor and power. Attached tractor barn and a lean-to storage and irrigation pump area. This is a diverse property with a lot of options and handy to East Coast beaches. Tender closing 2pm, Tuesday 28 August.

www.farmlandsrealestate.co.nz

Ian Morgan Lifestyle / Rural – Waikato 027 492 5878 ian.morgan@farmlands.co.nz

Glen Murray

Lifestyle / Rural – Waikato 027 488 6138 glen.murray@farmlands.co.nz

Boundary indicative only